Stacking and bundling machine

ABSTRACT

A machine for stacking and bundling flat articles. The articles are collected in a stack on an elevator arm. The stack is compressed and advanced into a generally U-shaped basket having parallel spaced sides. The basket can swing about an upright axis and about a horizontal axis. The basket swings about the horizontal axis to a lay-over position in which the sides of the basket are upright. The stack is pushed from the basket when in lay-over position. A tray portion of the basket can be adjusted crosswise of the basket to accommodate stacks of articles of various sizes. The horizontal axis can be advanced along a 45* angle to the horizontal so that the tray position at the lay-over basket position can be at the same height for various positions of the tray member in the basket.

United States Patent [1 1 Stapp et al.

[4 1 Sept. 23, 1975 STACKING AND BUNDLING MACHINE [73] Assignee: Multifold-lnternational, lnc.,

Milford, Ohio [22] Filed: June 5, 1974 [21] Appl. No.: 476,578

521 U.S. c1 214/6 c; 93/93 R; 214/1' QF 51 Int. Cl. 865G 57/22 58 Field of Search 214/6 c, 1 o, 1 QF; 93/93 R, 93 DP; 53/243 [56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,819,661 1/1958 Howdle et a1. 93/93 DP 2,985,323 5/1961 Wilson et al. 214/6 C 3,533,213 10/1970 Lloyd 93/93 C 3,670,903 6/1972 Hamilton 214/1 Q 3,678,525 7/1972 Lloyd et al..... 53/243 X 3,832,938 9/1974 Stapp et al. 214/6 C Primary ExaminerDavid Schonberg Assistant ExaminerJohn A.. Pekar Attorney, Agent, or Firm.lames W. Pearce; Roy F. Schaeperklaus [57 ABSTRACT A machine for stacking and bundling flat articles. The articles are collected in a stack on an elevator arm. The stack is compressed and advanced into a generally U-shaped basket having parallel spaced sides. The basket can swing about an upright axis and about a horizontal axis. The basket swings about the horizon tal axis to a lay-over position in which the sides of the basket are upright. The stack is pushed from the basket when in lay-over position. A tray portion of the basket can be adjusted crosswise of the basket to accommodate stacks of articles of various sizes. The horizontal axis' can be advanced along a 45 angle to the horizontal so that the tray position at the lay-over basket position can be at the same height for various positions of the tray member in the basket.

11 Claims, 29 Drawing Figures US Patent Sept. 23,1975 Sheet 1 of 22 3,907,129

23,1975 shw 2 of 22 3,907,129

Patent Sept.

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US Patent Sept. 23,1975 Sheet 10 of 22 3,907,129

US Patent Sept. 23,1975

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US Pateant Sept. 23,1975 Sheet 12 of 22 3,907,129

FIGI5 US Patent Sept. 23,1975 Sheet 13 of 22 3,907,129

US Patent Sept. 23,1975 Sheet 15 of 22 3,907,129

US Patent Sept. 23,1975 Sheet17 0f22 3,907,129

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1. A machine for stacking and bundling flat articles which comprises a horizontal stack receiving arm, means for forming a compressible upright stack of articles on the stack receiving arm with the articles extending horizontally, a horizontal presser means, means for lowering the presser means over the stack to compress the stack, a generally U-shaped basket having parallel spaced sides, means for mounting the basket for swinging about an upright axis and for swinging about a horizontal axis between an upright position in which the sides are horizontal and substantially aligned with the stack receiving arm and the presser means in stack compressed position and a lay-over position in which the sides of the basket are upright, means for pushing the stack from between the presser means and the stack receiving arm into the basket when the basket is in a first upright position with ends of the stack bearing on the sides of the basket and the stack being compressed between the sides of the basket, means for swinging the basket about the upright axis to a second upright position, and means for swinging the basket to lay-over position to turn the stack to a position in which the articles in the stack are upright.
 2. A machine as in claim 1 wherein the means for swinging the basket about the upright axis swings the basket through an angle of 90*.
 3. A machine as in claim 1 wherein the means for mounting the basket includes an upright shaft, a table mounted on the shaft, a shaft support carried by the table, a horizontal shaft rotatably mounted on the shaft support, and means carried by the horizontal shaft for supporting the basket.
 4. A machine as in claim 3 wherein the shaft support includes guide bars attached to the table and extending at an angle of 45* to the vertical, and block means slideably mounted along the guide bars, the horizontal shaft being rotatably mounted in the block means, the block means being slideable along the guide bars to adjust the arc through which the basket swings between upright and lay-over positions.
 5. A machine as in claim 4 wherein there is screw means threaded in the block means and rotatably supported by the table means for adjusting the position of the block means on the guide bars.
 6. A machine as in claim 1 wherein the means for mounting the basket includes a turn box, means for mounting the turn box for swinging about the upright axis, track means on the turn box extending at an angle of 45* to the upright axis, a slide block movable along the track means, the horizontal axis being a shaft rotatably mounted in the slide block, a tray member mounted in the basket and extending between the sides thereof, means for advancing the tray member along the sides of the basket, and means for moving the slide block along the tracks, the position of the tray member at layover position being adjustable to fall at a predetermined height for varying positions of the tray member aLong the sides of the basket.
 7. A machine as in claim 1 wherein there is a device for discharging the stack from the basket when at layover position which comprises a pusher head, there being guide track means on the sides of the basket for guiding the pusher head for travel transversely of the basket, a resilient band, the pusher head being supported at an end portion of the band, a band supporting wheel rotatably mounted on the machine adjacent the layover position of the basket, means for attaching a portion of the band remote from said end portion to a rim of the wheel, means for rotating the wheel to advance the band and to cause the pusher head to advance through the basket at the layover position to discharge the stack from the basket, and means for directing the band onto the rim of the wheel as the wheel is turned in a direction to retract the pusher head.
 8. A machine as in claim 1 wherein the means for mounting the basket includes a turn box, means for mounting the turn box for swinging about the upright axis, track means on the turn box extending at an angle of 45* to the upright axis, a slide block movable along the track means, the horizontal axis being a shaft rotatably mounted in the slide block, a tray member mounted in the basket and extending between the sides thereof, means for advancing the tray member along the sides of the basket, and means for moving the slide block along the tracks, the position of the tray member at layover position being adjustable to fall at a predetermined height for varying positions of the tray member along the sides of the basket, and there is a device for discharging the stack from the basket when at layover position which comprises a pusher head, there being guide track means on the sides of the basket for guiding the pusher head for travel transversely of the basket, a resilient band, the pusher head being supported at an end portion of the resilient band, a band supporting wheel, a wheel supporting yoke mounted adjacent the layover position of the basket for up and down movement, means for rotatably mounting the wheel on the wheel supporting yoke, means for attaching a portion of the band remote from said end portion to a rim of the wheel, means for rotating the wheel to advance the band to cause the pusher head to advance through the basket at the layover position to discharge the stack from the basket, means for directing the band onto the rim of the wheel as the wheel is turned in a direction to retract the pusher head, and means for raising and lowering the yoke to dispose the pusher head in alignment with the track means on the sides of the basket when the pusher head is withdrawn.
 9. A machine for stacking and bundling flat articles which comprises a horizontal stack receiving arm, means for forming a compressible upright stack of articles on the stack receiving arm with the articles extending horizontally, a horizontal presser means, means for lowering the presser means over the stack to compress the stack, a generally U-shaped basket having parallel spaced sides, a horizontal shaft, means for mounting the basket for swinging about the horizontal shaft between an upright position in which the sides are horizontal and substantially aligned with the stack receiving arm and the presser means in stack compressed position and a layover position in which the sides of the basket are upright, a slide block rotatably supporting the horizontal shaft, track means extending at an angle of 45 degrees to the vertical, a tray member mounted in the basket and extending between the sides thereof, means for advancing the tray member along the sides of the basket, means for mounting the slide block for movement along the tracks, the position of the tray member at layover position being adjustable to fall at a predetermined height for varying positions of the tray member along the sides of the basket, means for pushing the stack from between the presser means and the stack receiving arm into the basket when the bAsket is in the upright position with first ends of the stack bearing on the sides of the basket and the stack being compressed between the sides of the basket, and means for swinging the basket to the layover position to turn the stack to a position in which the articles in the stack are upright.
 10. A machine as in claim 9 wherein there is a device for discharging the stack from the basket when at layover position which comprises a pusher head, there being guide track means on the sides of the basket for guiding the pusher head for travel transversely of the basket, a resilient band, the pusher head being supported at an end portion of the band, a band supporting wheel rotatably mounted on the machine adjacent the layover position of the basket, means for attaching a portion of the band remote from said end portion to a rim of the wheel, means for rotating the wheel to advance the band and to cause the pusher head to advance through the basket at the layover position to discharge the stack from the basket, and means for directing the band onto the rim of the wheel as the wheel is turned in a direction to retract the pusher head.
 11. A machine as in claim 9 wherein there is a device for discharing the stack from the basket when at layover position which comprises a pusher head, there being guide track means on the sides of the basket for guiding the pusher head for travel transversely of the basket, a resilient band, the pusher head being supported at an end portion of the band, a band supporting wheel, a wheel supporting yoke mounted adjacent the layover position of the basket for up and down movement, means for rotatably mounting the wheel on the wheel supporting yoke, means for attaching a portion of the band remote from said end portion to a rim of the wheel, means for rotating the wheel to advance the band to cause the pusher head to advance through the basket at the layover position to discharge the stack from the basket, means for directing the band onto the rim of the wheel as the wheel is turned in a direction to retract the pusher head, and means for raising and lowering the yoke to dispose the pusher head in alignment with the track means on the sides of the basket when the pusher head is withdrawn. 